The Neo Young Justice
by UnseenAssailant
Summary: Grayson had the Young Justice. Drake had the Teen Titans. But Damian knows he can do better than both of them. He's creating his own team of young superheroes. Hopefully he can keep them all under control... Rated M because this could go anywhere at this point.


The Neo Young Justice

Chapter One

 _The Batcave, Gotham City, New Jersey, USA - 28th August 2014, 4:38pm_

Damn. How had he got himself into this situation? Damian Wayne, son of Batman, heir to the Wayne company, fortune and mansion, former heir to the League of Assassins and, in his opinion, greatest Robin to ever fight beside the Dark Knight himself, was _assisting Tim Drake_ in fixing his motorcycle. _Drake._ The idea was unfathomable.

"Master Damian, would you mind handing me that screwdriver?" Alfred, the butler of Wayne Manor, asked politely.

That was it. It was Pennyworth. _He_ had tricked Damian into helping Drake with his stupid bike. He had been sitting around with nothing to do and the butler had asked if he wanted to help him with something. Reluctantly, Damian agreed and followed Alfred into the Batcave to see Drake fiddling with the Red Bird, his custom-made motorcycle.

"What? No way, Pennyworth. I'm not giving _Drake_ a hand with his piece of junk," he had hissed. Drake then looked up and immediately his expression darkened.

"Did you really have to bring _him_ with you, Alfred?" he sighed.

"Now, now, Master Timothy," Alfred held up his hand. "I believe it would do you two good to spend time together."

"OK, fine. You better not make the Red Bird worse than it already is though, Damian."

"Oh, don't you worry about that," Damian replied sourly. "I won't be touching your precious scrap pile at all."

And so he had simply sat there looking grumpy for the last two hours, occasionally handing Alfred tools and things but mostly just thinking about Drake.

 _What a snob. Thinking he's so cool with his inconspicuous bike. How does it help in any way? How does HE help in any way? Of all the Robins, his is the only existence to be completely redundant. He doesn't do anything that his band of Titans can't do without him. Sure, he gets all the ladies but it's only because he's got ties with my father. I'm sure I could create a team of heroes far better than his._

Damian smirked and started formulating a plan to build a way better version of the Teen Titans. Dick's Young Justice had been better but Damian was sure his would surpass even them.

There was just one problem. He didn't really _know_ any young heroes. They hadn't really had another generation since the Titans who, despite their name, were all about twenty, some older than that. He would have to do some research.

* * *

 _The Batcave, Gotham City, New Jersey, USA - 28th August 2014, 10:12pm_

After a few hours, Damian had learned of a few heroes with children around his age. First, Arsenal, or Roy Harper, had an eight-year-old daughter named Lian. Harper was teaching her archery and Damian was impressed with how quickly she had picked it up.

Second (and technically third) were Wally West's twins, Iris and Jai. Both had their father's speedster powers, although for some reason not logged on the Batcomputer, Jai had lost his abilities. Damian couldn't deny the boy's incredible intelligence in computing and technology, though, especially for a nine-year-old.

Finally, Young Justice member Blue Beetle had a younger sister named Milagro Reyes, also nine years old, who had a strong relationship with Guy Gardner of the Green Lantern Corps and had been with him to Oa many times. Damian wouldn't be surprised if she got her own Lantern ring at some point.

He would keep an eye on their development until he decided they were good enough for his team. He was also reminded of his friend, Colin Wilkes, who was ten like Damian. Colin always seemed a little lonely, what with having no family and living in a tiny apartment in Gotham, so he'd definitely be up for joining Damian's team.

Pleased with his progress, Damian switched off the Batcomputer, making sure to lock his files, and headed off to his room.

* * *

 _Wayne Manor, Gotham City, New Jersey, USA - 29th August 2014, 8:27am_

The next day, Damian was awoken by another presence in his room. He hadn't invited anybody to enter, so as far as he was concerned they shouldn't be there.

Sitting up, however, he saw his "brother", Dick Grayson, sitting in the corner, looking at his phone.

Seeing the younger boy was awake, Dick grinned. "Rise and shine, Sleeping Beauty."

" _Don't_ call me that!" Damian seethed.

"OK, OK. I need to tell you something," Dick said, although the smile didn't leave his face.

Damian scowled. "What?"

"Well, Bruce, Tim and I are going out tonight and since we can't really leave you alone here, we figured you could stay at a friend's house."

"A friend?"

"Well, my friend."

"Can't I just stay here with Alfred?"

"Dami, Alfred's working all day, every day for us, we've at least got to give him his nights to himself."

"But he's our _butler._ Can't you just pay him extra for tonight?"

"No, Dami-"

"Don't call me that."

"Alright, _Damian,_ you're not staying here tonight."

"Who am I staying with then?"

"I'll take you to Wally's this afternoon."

Damian groaned. "West?"

"Is there a problem?" Dick asked, surprised Damian even _knew_ Wally.

"From what you've told me about West, he'd hate me," Damian explained.

"Be nice and he won't have a reason to."

"Tt." There was a pause. Finally Dick stood up and went for the door.

"Pack your stuff, we'll leave at two."

"Whatever," Damian muttered, although he did get ready anyway.

* * *

 _Keystone City, Kansas, USA - 29th August 2014, 2:09pm_

Dick and Damian used the Justice League Watchtower teleporters to beam themselves over to Keystone. They appeared in a dark, dingy alleyway where no-one would see them. Holding his nose, Damian demanded why they had entered such a disgusting place and Dick gave him the honest answer that most people would freak out if they saw two people appear out of thin air. They walked out into the open air of a street and breathed in deeply.

"Don't worry, Damian, it's about a five minute walk to Wally's," Dick said. Damian grunted.

As they reached the West family's home, Damian suddenly thought of something. This would be the perfect opportunity to study the twins and learn more about them before he recruited them to his team.

They stopped in front of a large, comfortable-looking house Dick identified as Wally's. The man knocked twice and the door opened, revealing a tallish woman with long, black hair and a friendly smile.

"Hi, Dick, it's good to see you!" she said, giving Dick a hug.

"Hey, Linda, you too," Dick replied, returning the hug.

Damian just stood there, waiting for the two adults to stop. When they finally did, Linda turned to the boy.

"You must be Damian," she smiled, holding out her hand. Damian shook it, but didn't say anything.

Suddenly, a red blur flew out of the door and hit Dick in the chest, knocking him back a few steps. As he regained his balance, he saw a young, red-haired girl grinning up at him.

"Uncle Dick, you're here!" she shouted, before letting go and hopping back to the ground.

"Hey, Irey, how are you?" Dick asked the girl.

"Pretty good," Irey replied, smiling widely.

 _So this is Iris,_ Damian thought. _A little too excitable, but I can help her grow out of that. Her speed is quite impressive, however._

"How's school going?" Dick asked. Damian snorted. Typical adult question.

Irey shifted uncomfortably. "Oh, school's kinda... meh."

"Kinda 'meh'?"

"Yeah. It's so boring. And hard. And there's just _so much writing._ "

Dick chuckled. "Keep working at it, you'll get there eventually."

"Mmm." Irey was silent for a minute before noticing the dark-haired boy with his hands in his pockets standing behind Dick. She zoomed over to him, yelling "Himyname'sIrisbutyoucancallmeIrey!", clearly unable to contain her excitement.

"I'm sorry, what?" Damian asked. The girl talked so fast he couldn't make out a word of what she said.

"Oh, uh, I'm sorry, I'll try again," Irey stammered, reddening slightly. "My name is Iris but you can call me Irey if you want."

"I see. I am Damian," he answered.

"Wow, that's a really cool name!" Irey said nervously. Damian noticed she was fiddling with her hands.

 _What's wrong with this kid? It's like she's never talked to another person before,_ Damian thought.

"Hey, you wanna come inside?" the girl offered.

"Yes," Damian replied simply. He followed her into the living room, leaving the adults to talk about adult stuff.

The TV was on and Damian saw a raven-haired boy relaxing on the sofa. Walking up to the boy, he stuck out his hand.

"Jai West, my name is Damian Wayne, it's good to meet you."

Jai turned towards him and grinned. "Hey. You don't have to be all formal with me, I'm not the heir to one of your dad's business friends."

"Hey, Jai, why don't we show Damian around the house?" Irey suggested.

"Sure." Jai switched off the TV and started walking towards the other door in the room. "Through here's the dining room and the kitchen."

Damian poked his head through to see a fancy, modern dining room with a table big enough for all the family gatherings the Flashes had. He also saw the door to the kitchen but didn't bother going in.

Jai then led them upstairs. "Bathroom's to your left and the bedrooms are to your right." He turned right and entered the room at the end of the corridor. "This is mine and Irey's room," he said.

Damian looked at the large room. There was a single bed on each side, one with red and orange stripes and the other with blue and yellow flowers.

"That's my bed," Irey told him, gesturing to the flowery bed.

There was a small bookshelf between the two beds and a much larger shelf on the wall with the door. This shelf had a bunch of random toys and things in no particular arrangement. On the other side of the door there was a chest of drawers, most likely where the twins kept their clothes.

"That's basically it," Jai finished. "There's also Mom and Dad's room but they don't like people coming in there."

"I see."

"So, Dami, what do you do all day?" Irey asked. "Daddy says you don't go to school."

"I mostly either train or meditate."

"Wow, that sounds fun. I wish I could just stay at home. School sucks."

"Nah, you're just not trying hard enough," Jai argued.

"I am. Dami!" Irey shouted again. "How cool is it working with Batman?"

Slightly irritated, Damian replied. "It is pleasant. I wouldn't call it 'cool'."

He closed his eyes and tried to clear his head. This was difficult when the talkative girl wouldn't shut up.

"I think it sounds awesome. I'm a superhero too, by the way, I can run super fast and-"

" _West._ I already know this."

"Oh, really? OK, then. How about we talk about TV? Do you have a favourite show? I do. It's great. Do you like cartoons?"

"No."

"Do you watch sports?"

"No."

"I do. I watch hockey. It's really fun."

"Please stop."

"Stop what? Am I talking too fast again?"

"You're talking too much."

"Sorry." Irey deflated a bit. "Do you wanna talk instead?"

"No, I just want quiet."

"Oh. That's kinda boring." She perked up again. "I'm gonna go watch hockey. I think Keystone are playing!"

And with that, she disappeared. Damian exhaled deeply.

Jai laughed. He had been sitting on his bed watching the whole conversation.

"Chill out, dude. Irey's just a little excited is all."

"She is rather irritating."

"So, I'm guessing you don't want my life story in under five minutes?"

"I don't mind you telling me about yourself as long as you aren't intense about it."

"OK, then. Well, I used to have powers like Irey but some bad stuff happened and she had to take my speed. So now I'm kinda normal, 'cept I'm not cause I can see this stuff without being weirded out or anything."

"Interesting..."

"I might start fighting crime again, though. My dad's friend, Vic, is teaching me stuff to do with tech like hacking and fixing stuff. I could be Dad and Irey's tech support or something."

 _Or my tech support,_ Damian thought. He quite liked Jai and was certain that with more training, he would be a great asset to the team. They talked about superhero stuff until Irey came back and told them it was dinner.

"Good news, Jai," she added. "Keystone won the game!"

"Cool," Jai replied. He wasn't so interested in hockey but if Irey was happy then he was too.

* * *

 _West Family Home, Keystone City, Kansas, USA - 29th August 2014, 6:43pm_

Damian didn't say much at dinner, only answering Linda and Wally's questions. Wally kept giving him looks, as if Bruce had told him bad things about his son. He pretended not to notice and quietly ate his food. The twins told Wally about what they had done today (Irey had run around the city a couple times and watched hockey while Jai had been developing a program for something he wouldn't reveal) and then Wally recounted his battle with Captain Cold, never forgetting to mention his brilliance.

After dinner the kids got ready for bed. Jai would be sleeping on the sofa so Damian could borrow his bed. Irey was ecstatic about sharing a room with Robin himself and felt it was necessary to mention this several times.

Damian groaned at her unending chatter.

"Well, see you tomorrow, guys," Jai said as he made his way down to the living room.

Once Damian and Irey were alone, Damian tried to sleep.

"Hey, Dami," the girl whispered.

"Don't talk now."

"Awww, but there's so much to talk about."

"Go to sleep, children shouldn't be up this late."

" _You're_ a child."

"Well, I'm clearly more sensible than you. You're just childish."

"Hey! I'm not."

"Yes, you are. You wear your hair in stupid pigtails, you won't stop jumping around and you insist on having that silly rabbit toy in bed with you."

Irey stopped snuggling Mr Bunny so closely.

"My hair's not stupid, Mommy says it's cute."

"Tt."

Eventually, Irey got bored and went to sleep, much to Damian's relief.

* * *

 _Wayne Manor, Gotham City, New Jersey, USA - 30th August 2014, 9:20am_

Dick came to pick up Damian the next morning. Back at the manor, he asked how the night had been. Damian said it was OK but Iris talked too much. Dick just laughed and then Damian returned to his regular activities.

* * *

 _West Family Home, Keystone City, Kansas, USA - 30th August 2014, 1:41pm_

At lunch, Linda asked the twins what they thought about Damian.

"He seems pretty cool," Jai shrugged. "Got a nasty temper but if you keep him calm then he's not bad at all."

"I _love_ him!" Irey squealed. "He's just so awesome. I mean, he's _Robin._ He gets to work with Batman every single day!"

"But Irey, honey, I've worked with Batman before," Wally reminded her, concerned he was being forgotten.

"Yeah but Daddy, Robin's _cool._ " Wally didn't talk for the rest of the meal.

"I really think we could be best friends!" Irey went on excitedly.

"You sure about that?" her brother asked skeptically. "He didn't seem too keen about you."

"Be nice, Jai," Linda warned.

"He didn't dislike me. He's just always serious. I'll help him loosen up!"

"Sure you will."

* * *

 _Colin Wilkes's Apartment, Gotham City, New Jersey, USA - 31 August 2014, 12:39pm_

Damian decided to visit his friend, Colin, to check how he was coping with living alone and also to tell him about the team he was forming.

After making sure Colin had been using the money Damian lent him responsibly, giving him a couple hundred dollars for the month and asking how Colin's crime-fighting was going, Damian told him his plan.

"So, Wilkes,-"

"Call me Colin." The boy never understood why Damian didn't use his first name even though they were friends.

" _Ahem,_ " Damian cleared his throat and glared at Colin. "As I was saying, I have come up with a plan to put together a new team of heroes, young ones."

"Like the Teen Titans?"

"Yes, except its leader won't be some stupid oaf like Drake."

"OK, then." Colin waited for his friend to continue.

"I don't know when this team will actually happen, as most of the people with potential are under ten years of age. However, I would like to invite you to be a part of this team."

Colin ran a hand through his messy, ginger hair and sighed. "Y'know, I'm not really a hero. More just a dark creature who fights criminals."

"Of course you are. You're incredibly heroic and the fact you use your powers for good makes you a perfect fit for the role."

Colin grinned. "Well, if you're sure. Thanks, I'd really love to. So, when do you think you'll be ready? Are there any other members yet?"

"Not officially. I have done some digging and found a few others who would be suitable. I'm mostly waiting for them to grow up a bit more."

"Fair enough. Keep me updated on it, though."

"I'll be sure to. However, I believe Father wants me back home soon, so I'll leave now."

They shook hands and Damian left the apartment, satisfied with how everything was turning out.

* * *

 _The Batcave, Gotham City, New Jersey, USA - 13th April 2015, 12:27am_

Damian sat in front of the Batcomputer, chewing thoughtfully on an apple. It had been about eight months since he had come up with his team idea and things were progressing well. Slowly, but well.

Tonight he was supposed to be monitoring Gotham to make sure nothing major happened while Batman was out patrolling. He was thinking more about the young heroes who were soon be his team. He toyed with the idea of maybe going on patrol with them individually at some point, just to get a feel of what it would be like.

Suddenly, a bleeping sound came from the computer, indicating the arrival of a villain. Damian looked up quickly, instantly all-business. The Batcomputer was only supposed to alert him when a criminal important enough to have an alias showed up. This time it was...

"Mirror Master?" Damian muttered under his breath. "What the hell is he doing in Gotham?"

Mirror Master was one of the more well-known criminals in the Flash's Rogues Gallery. This being the case, Damian was surprised to see him out of Central City or even Keystone City. Intrigued, he decided he would go after the villain himself, not bothering to tell his father about it. He called Colin and told him to meet where the alert had said, then suited up and went off into the night.

* * *

 _Gotham City, New Jersey, USA - 13th April 2015, 12:49am_

Gotham wasn't what you would call a pleasant city. Sure, it looked nice, but there was more crime in one block than there was in the whole of Metropolis. For Damian, however, there was nothing wrong with it. Not only did it feel familiar to him, he enjoyed a good fight. He enjoyed venting out any built-up frustration. He enjoyed the feeling of making a difference in the world. (Not that he'd ever admit that last one.)

Tonight was rather quiet, though. He and Colin had been going towards the dot on the map indicating Mirror Master but they hadn't really seen _anyone_ around. Now they heard noises. They sounded like a lot of punches and kicks and... could Damian hear a _conversation_ being held?

"So, why'd you decide to warp to Gotham?"

"Oh, well, you know, I'd kind of wanted to see what it was like so when you forced me to warp, this is where I chose."

"But it's such a dark, dull area. What about somewhere like New York?"

"Well, maybe that's more your thing, but I'd feel like I was trying to be a movie star, having a battle in a place like New York."

"Don't you want people to see how cool you are?"

"You think I'm cool?"

"Well, you are a bad man, but your powers are so awesome!"

"Thanks."

Deciding enough was enough, Damian stepped around the corner to see a rather half-hearted fight between Mirror Master and... a smily, red-haired speedster girl.

"Now Iris West is here too?" Damian murmured.

"Who's Iris West?" Colin whispered back.

"Oh, no-one. And she still has those pigtails?"

"What?"

"Doesn't matter, let's join the fight." Damian ran in, preparing to strike, when he saw Irey deliver a charged punch to Mirror Master's groin, knocking him to the ground. The villain coughed and spluttered to regain his breath but didn't try to get up. Damian and Colin paused their attack when they saw the girl make no move to finish her opponent off.

"Oh yes! Another win for Impulse!" Irey whooped, punching the sky. "I believe that makes it twenty-three to fourteen, huh?"

Mirror Master scoffed. "You aren't counting that one back in January are you?"

"Why not?"

"You passed out as well."

"Yeah, but you did first!"

"Whatever." The sound of police sirens could be heard. "Well, see you next time I break out of prison, lass."

"Bye, then."

Damian and Colin then watched her run up the nearest building and perch on the roof, waiting for the GCPD to arrest the fallen criminal.

"We'd better follow her," Colin suggested. Grabbing his friend, Damian shot his grappling hook up to the same roof and scaled the building.

Irey turned, surprised, but upon recognising the surly dark-haired boy, beamed happily. "Robin! You came to see me!"

"Not exactly," Damian replied. "We came to apprehend Mirror Master but you apparently took care of him first."

"Well, speed is kinda my thing," the red-haired girl stated proudly.

"So... who is this?" Colin asked, completely lost in this conversation.

"Wilkes, this is West-"

"You can call me Irey, though," Irey interrupted.

"West, this is Wilkes."

"Colin, actually."

"Nice to meet you, Colin," Irey held out her hand, which Colin shook lightly. "You a superhero too?"

"Uh... uh, kind of." This was the first person he had spoken to, other than Damian, since Colin had got his powers.

"What do you do?" Irey asked, always eager to make new friends.

"Well, I can turn into a big, nasty monster which makes me almost invincible."

"Wow, so you're like the Hulk?"

Damian groaned. "Please save the pop culture references for someone who understands them."

"Oh, I almost forgot," Irey said. "Jai's with me too."

"Really, where?"

"Who's Jai?"

"My brother. He added a radio to my mask so he could talk to me while I was on the field."

"I see," Damian said.

"That's cool," Colin added.

"Y'know, we should team up more," Irey suggested.

"Why?" Damian asked bluntly.

"Cause it's fun. And cause I did all the work this time."

"I'd be up for it," Colin told her. "Come on, Damian, it could be fun."

"We'll see."

"I gotta go now but I'll see you guys later," Irey said, before zipping back to Keystone.

"What are you thinking, Damian?" Colin asked, seeing his friend's thoughtful expression.

"Remember the team I said I was forming?"

"Yes."

"I'm considering the West twins."

"Cool. Have you told them yet?"

"No. In time."

"Fair enough."

* * *

 _Harper Family Home, El Paso, Texas, USA - 18th April 2015, 11:02am_

Lian Harper lay in bed, looking up at the ceiling. She was so _bored._ Back in Star City, there were always things to do. She always went round to friends' houses and they'd end up going to the park or something. After her dad, Roy, insisted on moving somewhere quiet, though, she wasn't left with much. The weather in El Paso was so _hot_ that Lian didn't want to go out. And all her friends were miles away. Of course, she could always practice her archery, but there was only so much of that she could take before she wanted to actually _use_ her skills.

She decided today, she would brave the heat and go on an "adventure". She wandered downstairs where she found her dad watching TV.

"Hey, Daddy," she said, hugging him.

He hugged back warmly, but then said "OK, what is it? You wouldn't hug me that tightly if there wasn't something you wanted."

"Please, Daddy, please let me go out today. It's so boring here."

"Peanut, you can't go out by yourself. It's not safe." Roy said sternly.

"Sure it is. No-one's gonna hurt me. I'd only go into the town. Just for a little bit. Come on, Daddy, isn't this why we moved to the middle of nowhere? So I'd be safe?"

Out of arguments and unable to say no to his daughter's pleading face, Roy caved in. "Fine. But I'm putting on suncream first."

"Awww, but it's all sticky."

"Do you want me to change my mind?"

"No."

After creaming Lian, Roy packed her a lunch and gave her a quick hug. "Love you, Peanut. Have fun."

"Love you. I will."

Once the front door was shut, Lian snuck around to the garden and grabbed her bow, a quiver of arrows and a discarded hoodie, and ran down the road in the direction of town.

* * *

 _El Paso, Texas, USA -18th April 2018, 12:23pm_

Lian had mostly been walking around doing nothing much, apart from using small animals as target practice. She didn't actually shoot the poor creatures, just near to them. She was considering just going home, when she saw something yellow fall from the sky and crash into the road in front of her.

"Woah! What is that?" Lian yelled, not nearly as frightened as a regular nine-year-old would be.

The smoke cleared, revealing a humanoid figure, except it wasn't human, it had dark red skin, glowing yellow eyes, and lots of sharp teeth.

Lian gasped. "A space invader! This is what I've been training for!" She began shooting the monster which pretty much made it angry without causing any actual damage.

"Shit," she swore, partly because she was worried, but mostly because her daddy couldn't hear her.

Suddenly, as the monster started stalking towards her, hand now glowing brighter than its eyes, a green Something fell in the same way the yellow Thing did. Except it didn't hit the ground, it flew straight at the creature, knocking it off its feet.

Lian stared at the green Thing, which turned out to be another unearthly creature but more friendly-looking. He had a ring that emitted a bright green light.

"Whaaaat?" The young girl was starting to reach her limit of weirdness; she hadn't expected to see two aliens in ten minutes, especially after they moved _away_ from the action.

"Get back!" the green man said sternly. "Arkhileos is not someone to be messed with!"

"O-OK," Lian stammered, retreating to the safety behind a car. She watched the green clash with the yellow, both appearing to create things out of nowhere and fight using them.

As if this wasn't exciting enough, someone else decided to drop into the battle. This guy wore blue and black armour and was turning his arms into weapons.

"Hey!" the newcomer yelled. "What's going on here?"

"What's it to you, small fry?" the one named Arkhileos spat.

"This is my town. You can't just bring your intergalactic space wars over here, amigo."

"Your town, huh? Who the hell are you, then?"

The smaller man raised his arm towards Arkhileos, turning it into a blaster. "I am Blue Beetle, and you are not welcome!" He began firing blue energy at the creature, knocking him back a bit.

"Stop, leave him to me!" the green guy said anxiously. "You don't know how powerful he is!"

"Sure I do, he a Yellow Lantern, right? One of Sinestro's amigos. And you're a Green Lantern."

"Meaning Arkhileos is _my_ responsibility."

Meanwhile, Lian was watching the fight with excitement, never having actually seen a superhero battle before.

"Cool fight, huh?" Lian jumped at the voice, turning quickly to see another girl watching Blue Beetle and the Lanterns.

"Where did you-"

The girl laughed. "Relax, amiga. I'm not here to fight anyone. I'm Milagro." She held out her hand.

Lian shook it. "I'm Lian. What are doing here, though?"

"That blue guy's my brother. I wanted to see him really fight so I followed him here. Glad I did. Wouldn't wanna miss out on something like this!"

"Huh. Fair enough."

Milagro looked her companion up and down. "What's with the bow and arrows? You gonna join them or something?"

"Uhhh, no. I was just getting in some target practice when these guys landed in front of me," Lian replied truthfully.

The girls watched as the three warriors fought, all giving everything they had. Milagro winced as her brother was thrown of his feet and onto his back by the Yellow Lantern's foot. Arkhileos charged up his ring and fired a spear of light straight towards the now unconscious Blue Beetle. The Green Lantern saw it too late and had only one, horrible choice. Without a second thought, he flew in the way of the projectile, letting it pierce through his chest. He landed in a crumpled heap on the ground, coughing and gasping for air.

Arkhileos sighed. "What a waste of time," he said before flying off, into the clouds and who-knows-where.

Lian and Milagro rushed to the fallen heroes, fearing the worst. After confirming her brother was OK, Milagro turned the alien onto his back and supported his head with her hand.

"H-hey, Señor, don't die please!" she cried, shaking him lightly. He coughed again and looked at her face.

"Y-you are... safe?" he managed.

"Yes, of course, thanks to you!"

"Good... You- I know you," he said, smiling slightly. "You're Guy's friend."

"Y-yeah, we're good friends," Milagro answered, beginning to cry. Guy would be upset to hear one of his friends was... was...

"Listen carefully, my child," the Green Lantern spoke again. "I w-want you to take this." He held up his hand. His ring was glowing fainter and fainter as his life drained away.

"I-I can't do that. It's yours."

"It won't be for much longer. It has served me well. I'm sure it will for you, too."

The man smiled and closed his eyes, now at peace. Lian gave her new friend a gentle hug and Milagro cried harder into her shoulder.

After a while, once Milagro calmed down, Lian reminded her of something. "Hey, you gonna take that ring?"

"I don't know. It feels wrong."

"Why? He told you you could. And if you don't, it'll just be forgotten. You've gotta carry on his legacy."

Milagro sniffed and picked up the ring. She put in on her finger and suddenly it glowed brightly again.

"See? It's kinda your destiny now."

Milagro brushed away her tears and stood up. "OK. I'll do it. I'll become a Green Lantern." She looked down at her brother, who was starting to come to. "Jaime won't like it, though."

* * *

 _The Batcave, Gotham City, New Jersey, USA - 30th July 2018, 2:36pm_

Dick couldn't fail to notice how smug Damian looked today. He had actually gone a full four hours without frowning! Damian always frowned. He decided he couldn't just let it slide.

"So, what's got you all happy, Dami?"

"Well, you remember that time I told you I was going to create a super team that was better than Drake's and yours?"

"Yeah." That was years ago...

"Well, I've decided. We're meeting tonight."

"Really? You've been planning this for four years?"

"That's right. And now my plans are coming into fruition."

"Huh. So who's in it?" Dick asked, trying to think of any other superheroes around Damian's age.

"I can't tell you," Damian smirked. "You could be an enemy and the less you know, the better."

Dick laughed. "Right, right. Well, I hope it goes well for you."

"It will."

Dick left with a chuckle. Damian then sent a message to the phones belonging to his soon-to-be teammates and went off to prepare for the big moment.


End file.
